Hague takes on £30,000 new special adviser

William Hague has appointed a new special adviser despite a Coalition pledge
to reduce spending on ministerial aides.

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William Hague takes a stroll in Westminster showing off his new hairstylePhoto: XPOSURE

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William Hague with his new adviser Chris MyersPhoto: XPOSUREPHOTOS

By Graeme Paton

7:59AM BST 23 Aug 2010

The Foreign Secretary appointed Chris Myers, 25, as his third Whitehall adviser, on a salary of £30,000, it has emerged.

It appears from the pictures of the two strolling in London that the first piece of advice could have been for Mr Hague to remove his hat. He attracted ridicule in the Nineties whenTory leader for donning a baseball cap to give him a more “trendy” image.

Mr Myers’s hiring comes despite Tory criticism of the number of aides and spin doctors Labour took on over the past decade.

David Miliband — Mr Hague’s predecessor in the Foreign Office — had just two official advisers. But the Government has defended the appointment, saying Mr Hague, who also has the title of First Secretary of State, has more official duties.

It came as campaigners voiced concerns after it emerged that the Foreign Office’s annual report on human rights around the world could be downgraded as part of cost-cutting.